Have to pick up the snowbird neighbors at the airport today, so won't catch up with the pirates until later this afternoon or tomorrow, depending on how much of living the "Driving Ms Daisy" sequel imposes on the schedule. They're going to meet & greet at Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters around noon to get the reading materials & FAOL Fish-In folders with boating & fishing maps I left to plan where to fish in the area! Just a phone call away from the flyfishing
did we decide where were having breakfast? i'll give hugo a call later on and see if we have a plan for tommorrow
After getting back from the airport about quarter after 2 called & inquired " are you skiing behind a tarpon in the kayak ? " of FLskibum. HA, he wished ! Actually they had just put in at the Nokomis Boat ramp on "snook alley" after lunch.
Apparently Thunderthumbs original flight got canceled, so he took a later flight & that's why he was delayed getting to Florida. TT gave a call this evening about half past 8, after they had a good day catching ladyfish & sea trout in abundance. Seems the snook had lockjaw, which is typical. You could throw everything in the flybox at them & they won't move. About the only way to catch one when they are like this is if you throw the kitchen sink at them & wait until it floats up ! Guess that's exactly what they needed last night also, but you'll have to wait for the "you just had to be there " version.
Tomorrow morning at 7 am we meet & greet at the Kingfisher Restaurant, caddy-cornered from the Venice Hospital in the Veranda Inn. Plans are to walk Blind Pass Beach in the morning & wade Lemon Bay on the backside of Blind Pass Beach on Manasota Key if the gulf surf isn't providing fish, but just sharks teeth; sometime later in the morning or afternoon. NE winds of about 10 & a light chop ought to provide an exceptional fly fishing day in 84 degree temps of Florida sunshine !
Last edited by saltydancindave; 03-29-2008 at 01:19 AM.
Saturdays partial Fish-In update: About 6:30 am & driving I-75 north, where it seems every spring breaker & snowbird is leaving Florida, which would let FLskibum, Thunderthumbs & Dan get to restautant for the meet & greet long before me. HA ! FLskibums alarm clock didn't go off as they all slept in, called to say they were going to Indian Mounds park after meeting Capt Tony about 8 am for directions; who had clients for the day. Reload Bill & I had breakfast & exchanged more than a few fishing secrets from the old days while getting acquainted. We left to fish Blind Pass Park & Lemon Bay; but to no avail, even though the water temps were close to 70 & the sunshine was warming the flats up quickly as it rose in the east.
There were more than enough mullet & finger mullet breaking all over the flats, signifying feeding fish. No redfish tailers & no hits under the schools of mullet, even though they were scattering from predators & making a good amount of whitewater, but not like a feeding frenzy !
Thunderthumbs & Dan had kayaked over from the east side of the bay for an on the water meet & greet. Reload Bill, who has again taken up flyfishing years later without his mentor by his side coaching; had just about cast his arm off while trying to hook his first saltwater fish & decided to tend to family before the eveniongs backyard barbeque ! Dan had the hot rod, catching another keeper trout while TT also had one along with more ladyfish catches from the east side oyster bars. Seemed a good time to take a break as the yakkers were going to fish the west side before heading back to the boat ramp; where I would eventually drive to for more fishing after a lunchbreak & go canoeing with FL skibum.
Cell phones seem so much of an annoyance at times, but where else could one call for a water taxi but on the flats of Florida ! As FLskibum & I headed out into a quartering chop, since the gulf breeze had made it's proverbial entrance as if on it's tea time cue; changing the light chop & very light winds into some whitecaps on the waves, I tried to secure the 10 lb. canoe anchor inside on the floor because it was rigged on a quick release off the bow; swinging freely port to starboard & back making every paddle stroke an adventure in not tipping the craft or making it a submarine ! For a couple of old salts we didn't do too badly & stayed dry.
Anchor stowed & progress was remarkably better as we headed for an oyster bar island with some mangrove trees harboring a couple of mating great blue herons & other shore birds north of the boat ramp. There were a couple of deep troughs which had plenty of mullet & some big gar, but no strikes. Even stayed when the 20 mph + gusts out of the north tested our casting prowess.
It was a chamber of commerce blue bird day for fishing, but they don't call it catching as the 3 fishing tournaments down in Charlotte Harbor yeilded some redfish & seatrout, but very few snook catches for the professional fishing circuit & we didn't fare much better !
The barbeque was scheduled for this evening around 6, so the yaks got secured to the truck with the canoe on top of them after the sea trout were cleaned by & for the campers. Said some farewells & just waiting on the phone call as to where we're fishing tomorrow ! TT with his new found sunburned red "V" under the chin can fill you in on this evenings events !
Woke up late, awaiting with great anticipation the phone call with todays fishing hole location. The winds were blowing out of the east at 15-20 this morn & it would have been better leaving the #8 weight in the rod rack & taking the #11 weight flyrod to battle the winds. Just figured they had worse winds & maybe rain so they just decided to do something else because when the cold fronts come thru, first the winds & usually the rains follow.
The phone finally rang about quarter past 4. Thunderthumbs & the other pirates had walked Manasota Keys' gulf beach in search of some rod benders. Word was that they got into some blue runners & spanish mackeral, but were still going to try some night snook fishing this evening.
Since the boat batteries haven't been charged in over a month, plus spending time trimming the grapefruit & palm trees after washing the car & truck; this old salt wasn't ready for fishing with the possibility of lightning & rain in the dark in the "lightning state".
Guess we'll have to wait for the sunburn emblazoned tatooed V under Thunderthumbs chin to heal a while before the official fly fishing report gets to the forum ! And with the probability of more fishing over the next few days, who knows how many & what species fish these saltwaters hold !
update
hugo , dan, flaskibum,myself walked up the beach at 730 am site casting to snook pompano and sheeps head snook would follow our flys but never strike heppes head would not eat our flys at all if any one knows a fly that sheeps head eat let us know well we got to the rock pile and started blind casting we were catching blue runners all about a pound skip jacks ( there was some discussion about what i was callin a skip jack small thin fish that was shaped like a makeral i don't know what there real name is that's what i grew up calling them) i caught one spanish mak that was cleaned and cooked on the grill last nite we also caught 2 sea bass a couple of black grouper (little) all in all it was a good day , we got back to our vehicals at about 4 pm so we had some worn out arms and sunburned necks and hands but i wouldn't trade it for anything Oh yeah these were my first saltwater fish with a fly rod TT has pics and i'm sure he'll post up as sooon as he gets home
Bill, great that you got some fish on the line at last ! That area holds so many snook in the summertime it's like sight fishing in an aquarium. Should have given y'all some of the schminnows out of the tackle bag for the snook & some of the pompano flys after canoeing Lemon Bay, but just too wind whipped to forsee the beach walk. The little blue runners always seemed to have a bluish-green tint on their backs & bled no matter where they got hooked. Sheepshead hit flies like sand flea, crab, shrimp or small clouser baitfish patterns. Maybe that is a skipjack, guess it's just what part of the state the Floridian hails from when they ID fish species for you. With the winds gusting 20-25 today, wondered if they went flyfishing again ?
Last edited by saltydancindave; 04-01-2008 at 01:39 AM.
Well, I made it back from the fish-in. I hated to leave. I've been sneezing all morning which is just more proof that I'm allergic to work and need to get back down there.
I had a great time, even better than last year. My emblazended signature "V" is no longer lobster orange, it is instead the envy of everyone in my office...thank you Dave.
I'll be typing up a little aritcle complete with pictures to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth according to the unwritten pirate fisherman's code.
It was great to see everyone again, and to meet you Bill, what a treat to be there for your first saltwater fish on the fly...we'll have to do it again amigo.
And special thanks to FLskibum. Gill, without your company and yaks, we never would have had the success we did.
I must get back to work...there will be much more later.
TT.
hugo
the pleasure was all mine brother . i had a great time with yous guys from the great white north and i'm looking foward to the next time ya'll are down i'm gonna hafta get some snook on the beach !! was that a blue and white clouser that you were flinging on sun if so dear ole dad mite be hooking me up ! i'm looking foward to the article and the pics
Bill
Hugo, with any luck the office envy won't be over the possibility that you had to thunderthumb your chest to get the redness emblazoned ! LOL ! Happy that you had some fish & a very prominent sunburn to show for your fish-in vacation. Those "Show Me" staters can be tough
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